Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.
These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. As multiple access technologies are improved and augmented, new telecommunication standards emerge. An example of an emerging telecommunication standard is the fourth generation Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA on the downlink (DL), SC-FDMA on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology, and/or for new generations telecommunication standards with improved capabilities.
Security configuration is an initial step in setting up a logical bearer or channel (e.g., a communication link between a mobile communication device and a network entity or access node) in LTE networks. Key derivation and establishment is a part of this security configuration. Most of the keys generated are ciphering and integrity keys for Non-Access Stratum (NAS) Security Mode Configuration (NAS SMC) and Access Stratum (AS) Security mode Configuration (AS SMC). As new generations of communications technology are deployed, vulnerabilities to attack may be exposed in the security configuration processes. Accordingly, there exists a need for improvements in security processes. Preferably, improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.